Brigand Fortress
The Brigand Fortress is a location in Spielburg Valley. It is featured in Quest for Glory I. Background The fortress sits in the hills to the southwest of the Town of Spielburg. It is the building which houses the brigands and their ill-gotten treasure. Travelling to the fortress requires walking a twisting route through the valley. Starting from the entrance to town, travelling two areas south, then three areas west, then another area south, then simply following the path to the end will lead to the fortress. The approach to the fortress is guarded by an ambush in the mountain pass. A tree has been uprooted and is lain across the path, and the cliffs on either side often hide archers. The actual building seems to be built into an alcove of the mountainside. It is almost entirely constructed of wood with some glass windows. Around the building itself is a large outer wall of spiked logs, forming a courtyard, which also contains pits and other traps. There is a gate at the south part of the wall Inside the fortress itself are several rooms, including a great hall and likely other rooms for living in and maintaining a fortress. There is also an office for the Brigand Leader, which is preceded by an antechamber that the Brigand Warlock uses as his own "funhouse" in which to discourage intruders. Inhabitants *Brigand Leader *Brigand Warlock *Toro *Several dozen brigands In-Game Interactions The Hero will infiltrate the fortress near the end of his adventure in Spielburg. As this is the climax of the adventure, the area is very dangerous and almost any misstep can result in the Hero's death. It is recommended that the Hero has built up the skills relevant to his class before attempting to infiltrate the fortress. NOTE: The Hero needs the Dispel Potion if he is to successfully complete his quest here. Ambush Area As the Hero enters this area, he will almost immediately be attacked by several archers positioned in the cliffs. While he can take one or two arrows, repeated hits will kill him. If the Hero reaches the log at the end of the pass (usually wearing the Chainmail Armor), he can jump over it, where he will engage in combat with the three brigands behind it. Afterwards, he can continue on to the gate area. Note that the Hero can avoid this area entirely if he attempts to infiltrate via the Troll Cave, and it is recommended that he do so. Fortress Gate This is the gate to the outer wall of the fortress. Toro the Minotaur is on guard duty out here, pacing back and forth. If the Hero entered this area from the ambush, he will be immediately attacked. If the Hero enters the area via the Troll Cave, he will appear on the west side behind a bush, where Toro cannot see him. Walking out will rustle the bush, altering Toro. Getting by Toro is different according to class: *The Fighter is expected to fight him. *The Magic User can cast Calm to put him to sleep. *The Thief can sneak by him, as sneaking will not rustle the bush, and Toro will not turn to face behind him unless he hears something. Once Toro is dealt with or bypassed, the gate itself is the next obstacle: *The Fighter can smash it open. *The Magic User can cast Open on it. *The Thief can climb over the wall. Fortress Courtyard Inside the gate, the Hero will need to cross the courtyard in order to enter the fortress proper. The Hero's first task is to reach the pit in the middle of the room. The safest path is to the left around the barriers. The rug has a sign labelled "Step Here" which is a pit trap, and the right has a trip rope which will set off an alarm. The next step is to cross the pit. The safe bridge to cross is the one on the right, with the sign reading "Cross Here". The left-hand bridge is hinged and will dump the Hero into the pit. The final part is to reach the door. There is a trip rope stretched across the path. To safely step over it, the Hero needs to type "step over rope" in the EGA version or click the Eye on the dark rope in the VGA version, which will allow the Hero to safely walk over it now that he has "seen" it. If the Hero triggers the trip rope, an Antwerp will drop on him. Fortress Great Hall (Cafeteria) This area is a large open mess hall. There are several tables and a large one in the back with three chairs for Toro, the Leader and the Warlock. At this point, the brigands will be aware that the Hero has infiltrated, and this area is a timed puzzle that requires the Hero to prevent them from entering the room as he makes his way to the door in the back left. The proper sequence of events to perform is as follows: *Close the door behind the Hero. *Head for the door in the upper right. Wait for the brigands watching through the door to leave. *Push the chair in front of the upper right door. *Wait for three familiar-looking brigands to enter the room from the left. Wait for them to start walking behind the big table. *Push the candle near the big table. *As they head back to the left, walk in front of the big table. As soon as they're out of reach, jump on the table. Depending on the version, the Hero may automatically grab the nearby rope. Otherwise, grab the rope. *Leave by the northwest door. Deviating from any of these events, or performing them with bad timing, will result in a game over. Warlock's Room The Warlock's antechamber is a room unlike any of the others in the fortress. With his magic, he has created a maze of doors and passages that can see the Hero leaving the west end of the room and ending up on the east. The Warlock can be spoken to. With enough knowledge of the game's events, asking about "Yorick", "Elsa", or the "spell" will see him reveal his identity as Yorick, the court jester of Spielburg Castle. It is possible to scare Yorick out of the room by casting a spell or throwing something at him. Regardless of whether Yorick is identified, the Hero will still need to traverse his room. If Yorick is not identified or chased off (or both), then he will attempt to interfere with the Hero's progress by periodically magically firing random garbage at him, which will hurt slightly, but mostly only slow the Hero down. If, at any time, the Hero tumbles off the edge of the walkways or is otherwise knocked or dumped off, he will end up on the right side, continually rolling down the walkway until he is forcibly stopped. This is done in the EGA version by typing "stop" or "stand", or in the VGA version by clicking the Hand. The path through the room is denoted by the picture on the right: *Walk to Door A to come out Door B. *Walk to Door C to come out Door D. *Pull the chain at D to open Door E. *Quickly head back and through Door E to come out Door F. *Try to open the last door, then move out of the way back into the doorway of F so as not to be flattened by the panel. *Leave the room. Leader's Office The office of the Brigand Leader is an opulent and lavish room, piled high with the many treasures that the brigands have stolen. The Leader sits behind her desk at the back of the room. As the Hero enters, she hops over her desk, sword drawn. It is at this point that the Hero should throw the Dispel Potion on her, as she will regain knowledge of her identity as Elsa von Spielburg. Following the scene, the Hero will need to escape the fortress. The way out is the passage that Yorick just walked in through. Before leaving, the Hero should take both the Healing Potions on the desk, as well as the Magic Mirror. If the Hero neglects to take the mirror, he will automatically travel to Spielburg Castle for the finale of the game. If he takes the mirror, he will return to the entrance to the Troll Cave, where he can conclude his adventure by returning to Baba Yaga's Hut. He can also go to the castle at any time following this quest to end the adventure prematurely. Trivia *It seems, in the VGA version, that Yorick will not leave through talking. He will only leave by threatening him with a spell. *A tool assisted speedrun of Hero's Quest bypassed the requirement to obtain the dispel potion by casting open during the brigand leader cutscene. Category:Places (QFG1)